STATE GEOLOGIST. 101 
CHAPTER III. 
THE CLINTON FORMATION AS A SOURCE OF OIL 
AND GAS. 
Introduction. —Oil or gas has been secured in these rocks at a num- 
ber of places. In the main, however, the yield has been very small, 
often a mere showing. The only pool of oil having commercial importance 
that has yet been discovered lies in the northern part of Vinton county, 
and the reader is referred to that county for details. A small well has been 
secured between Junction City and New Lexington, in Perry county, and 
another well is now under way. Small flows of gas have been secured in 
the Clinton at a number of points in northwestern Ohio, especially at Fre- 
mont, Sandusky county. A few scattering wells have been drilled in Vin- 
ton county, but the one important field lies in central Ohio. No further 
notice wil be given the scattering wells in this chapter, and hence the theme 
for discussion is the fields in the central part of the state. 
THE CENTRAL OHIO NATURAL GAS FIELDS. 
Four fairly distinct reservoirs of gas have been discovered in central 
Ohio. However, their geological relations are similar, while geographi- 
cally they are closely related, and for these reasons all will be considered 
together. In other words the several reservoirs will be regarded merely 
as parts of one large field. 
Location and Area.—At the present time these fields consist of 
two parts, a southern one commonly known as Sugar Grove, and a 
northern one known as Homer. Between these, two additional reservoirs 
have been discovered, but both have long been exhausted. One lay at 
Thurston, Fairfield county, and the other in the vicinity of Newark, Lick- 
ing county. } 
By far the most important reservoir is that surrounding the village 
of Sugar Grove. It includes portions of the following townships in Fair- 
field county; Pleasant, Berne, Rush Creek and Madison. In the last two, 
however, very few wells are found. Hocking county, lying to the south, 
has producing wells in the following townships; Good Hope, Laurel and 
Marion. The length of the field as developed in 1902 was 16 miles, and 
the maximum width 11 miles. The longer axis runs north and south. 
Lying north of this field is that of Thurston, which as has already been 
stated, has long been exhausted. Continuing due north the old Newark 
